A hybrid vehicle is well-known that includes an electric motor outputting a running torque at the time of motor running and a starting torque at the engine start. For example, this corresponds to a hybrid vehicle described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 proposes that in a hybrid vehicle including an electric motor coupled via a clutch to an engine, the engine start is initiated when a margin torque is defined as a difference between an upper limit torque that can be output by the electric motor and a currently generated torque of the electric motor and is equal to or less than a motor torque (corresponding to a starting torque) required at the engine start. Therefore, in a technique described in Patent Document 1, an upper limit torque (referred to as a motor running available torque) usable as a running torque at the time of motor running is set as a torque value acquired from the upper limit torque of the electric motor such that a starting torque (e.g., a start compensation torque compensating a deceleration torque transmitted to drive wheels at the engine start (i.e., a drop in a drive torque associated with the engine start)) remains. In short, a start threshold value of the engine start during the motor running is set based on the starting torque. As a result, the vehicle of Patent Document 1 avoids occurrence of shock at the engine start (engine start shock) associated with a drop in the drive torque, for example.